


Inner Love Affair

by Aria6



Category: Bleach
Genre: Hollow Love, Hollows Eating other Hollows, Life in the Inner World, M/M, Sort of Death, ie: lots of sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-20
Updated: 2013-04-20
Packaged: 2018-04-07 12:45:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4263717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo's inner hollow doesn't want to be alone, so he manages to devour a certain arrancar and make him part of Ichigo's inner world. What happens then? You'll just have to see... Read and Review!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: Ichigo's inner hollow is gonna get a new name for this fic. I'm taking any and all suggestions, please leave them in the reviews! :)

"I am so fuckin' bored right now."

"Yeah? Well, welcome to my life." The nameless hollow yawned, curling up a bit tighter in his little nest. He'd put it together from blankets and pillows scavenged from all over the town, and stuffed it into the best space he could find. A crawlspace in an old, Victorian style home. It was snug and dark which suited his instincts perfectly. A second person had joined him in that space and seemed to find it every bit as comfortable as he did.

"Fuck man! Just because you wanted some company you went and condemned me to this?" The man beside him complained and the hollow grinned.

"Stop bitching. Now get over here and blow me off." He said and was pleased by the feral growl he got in response. Bright blue eyes flared and arms flexed but he hardened his tone. "No sparring for dominance in the nest, dickhead. You want me to fuck you without lube?"

"Like you've ever used lube." The man grunted but moved over his body, making the hollow purr softly in pleasure. "I'll do this on one condition. You suck me off after." The hollow considered it for a moment.

"Yeah, sure." He said, rather pleased with the thought. He didn't mind giving head to someone he liked, and he liked this man. Liked him a lot, in fact. It was why he'd picked him to join him in the endless solitude that was Ichigo's mind. A feral grin met his words and pale hands yanked down his hakama, revealing the treasures beneath. He never bothered with underwear. Just another garment to pull off, what was the point? "Mmm." The white hollow breathed deeply, his head falling back as his partner went down on him. White hands slid through soft blue hair, urging him on. Not that he needed much encouragement. No, this man knew exactly what he was doing.

The hollow gasped softly, his toes curling as a slightly scratchy tongue explored his throbbing length. It felt like he was being licked by a cat, and the slightly weird sensation was a massive turn on. The suction that followed was even better and he watched as the other man hollowed his cheeks, sucking him expertly. He wondered, sometimes, how the other had become such an expert on oral sex. He'd been damned good at it the very first time he'd been coaxed into doing it.

"Grimmjow." He murmured the other's name, smiling as bright blue eyes flicked up to look at him. "You're fucking great… oh…" He moaned softly as that delicious tongue flicked his tip then whimpered softly as Grimmjow pulled away.

"Yeah, I know. You're not the first to tell me." He said teasingly as the hollow really wondered who had come before him. But then the former arrancar went down on him again and it just felt so _good._ Damn, that cat knew exactly how to use his tongue…

The white hollow enjoyed every moment as Grimmjow sucked him off. When he finally came it was with a loud yelp, and the arrancar pulled one of his best tricks… swallowing almost all of his cum, but letting a little of it drip down the side of his mouth, splattering on the hollow's thigh. He knew that was deliberate. Grimmjow could have swallowed it all if he'd wanted to, but he knew how that little action turned his partner on. The hollow growled and grabbed him, yanking him up so he could lick off that trail of semen. It should have been disgusting, but right now it tasted great.

"Hope you can handle my cock, whitey." The ex-Espada said with a wicked grin and the hollow snorted.

"Don't call me that. And you're not that impressive, cat." He said as he yanked up his hakama, then went down Grimmjow's body. His hakama was easy to get out of the way, but the bastard wore boxers underneath. The hollow had already shredded three pairs, but Grimmjow had a tiny bit of control here and insisted on making more. "Why do you wear these stupid things?" He muttered as he peeled the fabric away and the former arrancar laughed.

"I like the way they feel. So are you going to go down on me or are we going to discuss my taste in fashion?" Grimmjow asked and the hollow scowled before licking the waiting length. He'd been lying a bit when he said Grimmjow wasn't that impressive. He was actually really fucking big, and it was always a bit tough for the hollow to suck him off. "You really ain't the best at this."

"Shut up! I'm still learning you dirtbag." He snarled before returning to his task, defiantly taking Grimmjow as far back into his throat as he could. Almost choking himself, which kind of negated what he'd been trying for. There was a laugh above him.

"Yeah, I know… and it's sexy, watching you try to figure it out… ah…" A soft groan escaped the ex-Espada's throat and Shiro repeated the little tongue curl that had generated it. "Yeah, like that… shit…" The hollow gently fondled his partner's sac, another sensitive point. He might not be the best at oral sex, but he was finding out what Grimmjow liked best.

It took a while to get the other man off, and the white hollow didn't mind a bit. He was honestly enjoying himself. The challenge of stretching out his throat and ignoring his gag reflex had a weird appeal to him. That was probably why he didn't fight Grimmjow much when he suggested this. Giving head was usually a submissive gesture, and the hollow was not the submissive in their relationship. But then, their 'relationship' was not a simple thing.

Grimmjow finally came, and the hollow didn't even try to swallow it all. The man was like a fountain, it was always too much. A lot of it splattered on Grimmjow's thighs, too much to be sexy. Definitely annoying territory. But the white hollow could fix that and he grinned before lapping the sticky stuff up. It was one of the few things he could taste here and just for that, he savored the salty, slightly bitter tang.

"I love the way you seem to enjoy that." Grimmjow purred and the hollow lifted his head, grinning.

"I do enjoy it. It's the only thing I can eat around here." He said, knowing it would tick Grimmjow off a bit. The arrancar did not disappoint.

"Fuck! Don't remind me. Shit, what I wouldn't give for some coffee. I'd even drink Aizen's fucking tea right now. An adjuchas would be good… or even some fucking human food. A big piece of apple pie. Did you know we had apple pie in Los Noches? It was the best fucking shit ever." Grimmjow was getting misty eyed and the hollow laughed as he went back to his cum cleaning.

"Yeah, I know, that'd be the third time you've told me." He told the former arrancar, who growled and gripped his long hair, giving it a small yank. "Watch it! So yeah. Sorry, I'd get you some pie if I could. I'd like to try it myself." The hand in his hair relaxed at that.

"Yeah, I know." Grimmjow sighed softly as the white hollow sat up. To his surprise, the ex-Espada pulled him into an embrace. "I used to be so pissed at you – well, you know that – " The hollow sniggered at the reminder. That was a massive understatement. "But you're growing on me now. Like a bad case of foot rot."

"Oh thanks!" He grinned widely though. Foot rot? He liked that. Ichigo would probably agree. "You want to sleep? Because I'm fucking tired." He said with a yawn and the former arrancar shrugged.

"Sure. Not like there's much else to do in this shithole." He said and the hollow wasn't remotely offended. In fact, he completely agreed.

Ichigo's inner world was one hell of a shithole.

* * *

"Whaddaya think of my new threads?"

"Stunning." The hollow said as he gazed up at the sky. Something wasn't right. He was deeply attuned to the currents of the underwater world and _something_ was happening. Was his King having an emotional upset _again?_ If so the inner hollow was tempted to chop his own head off. This was getting way, way too emo for his tastes.

"You fucker, you didn't even look!" Wincing, he realized there was plenty of emo standing right beside him. Or rather, one extremely pissed off ex-Espada.

"Sorry. I just think King's doing something again." He said hurriedly then turned to look over the scowling arrancar. "Hey, where'd you get all that?" He was actually slightly impressed. Grimmjow was wearing black jeans with a tan belt that had a black chain hanging from it. His shirt was a simple grey t-shirt, and he was wearing a grey windbreaker with orange piping over top He was also wearing two necklaces, one a strand of silver while the other was cheap black iron with a crystal cross hanging off the end.

"One of the stores." Grimmjow waved vaguely at the main drag. "Looks good on me, doesn't it?" He said and the hollow nodded, although the ex-Espada clearly didn't need much affirmation. His ego was already huge. "You know, you need a name." He suddenly said and the hollow scowled.

"Not that again. King gets to name me, no one else." He said sullenly. He'd honestly been hoping Ichigo would name him for a long, long time. He talked to the kid all the time, didn't he deserve a name? It just wouldn't be the same if he named himself. Then he blinked as Grimmjow suddenly poked him in the forehead with a finger.

"Dumbass. He's not going to. He doesn't give a fig about you." The former arrancar said, which pissed the hollow off. Probably because it was true. "Let me name you. I'll come up with something good."

"Fuck off! Don't forget that I can eat you." The hollow snarled and Grimmjow just sneered, folding his arms.

"Yeah, you do that. Go back to being completely alone with only an emo King to take care of you. Oh wait, he never took care of you. He never even looks at you if he can help it." The taunts hurt and for a moment the inner hollow was deeply tempted to devour the ghost in front of him. But he restrained himself because Grimmjow was right on all counts. If he ate the fucker he'd go back to being alone and as annoying as the company could sometimes be, he didn't want that.

"Shut up." He grunted instead, glancing up. The water was swirling more violently now. "I'm going to go see what's got King's pants in a knot this time. You try to think up a name." Grimmjow looked surprised and the hollow smirked. "If you're going to get all frickin' whiny fine, you can name me. I already have one whiny bitch to look after, I don't need two."

"Oi! You better be ready for a fight tonight, bastard. I'm going to make you work for it." The ex-Espada retorted. The smirk widened into a grin.

"I can't wait." The hollow purred before focusing his attention elsewhere and vanishing from Grimmjow's sight.

He needed to see what his King's problem was.

* * *

"Make him come back Itsygo! Make Gwimmy come back!" There was a green haired little arrancar girl sobbing into Ichigo's chest. The hollow had to mentally come up to speed, and it took a few tries.

His King was in Hueco Mundo, for one. What was he doing here? Why had he gone, and when had it happened? The hollow felt a moment of dismay as he realized he'd been neglecting his King in favor of his foul mouthed little friend. But at least Grimmjow acknowledged his existence, which was more than he'd ever been able to say about Ichigo.

"Shhh Nel. Shhh. I'd bring him back if I could." Ichigo whispered into the little girl's ear. "I'm sorry. He's in a better place."

_This is awkward._ The inner hollow muttered to himself, not caring if Ichigo heard. There was no chance the teen would understand anyway. _Very, very awkward._ Should he say something?

Grimmjow had been dying after Nnoitra's attack. The hollow had seen it and had tried to tell his King, but Ichigo had listened to him just as well as always. Not that there had been much time to do anything, anyway. But when the hollow had briefly gotten control of their body, he'd done the only thing he could do. He'd made a pit stop to devour a certain Espada. One bite had finished his life, and plenty more had gotten the delicious snack down.

Of course, he hadn't done that just for a meal. He'd done it with the intention of making Grimmjow join him in Ichigo's inner world. He wanted a companion, someone to hang out with. Zangetsu had all the personality of a paintbrush and he could be thicker than a streak of lard when it came to intimate matters. The inner hollow wanted someone to play with, someone to fuck. He'd figured Grimmjow would be pissed but would eventually get over it. Survival instinct was the primary instinct for any hollow and this was survival, in a way.

Grimmjow wasn't as powerful as he once had been, though. The souls that had made up his body had been completely devoured by the hollow, and therefore Ichigo. All Grimmjow was left with was the oldest souls, the ones that had been with him so long they made up a significant part of his personality. And of course, his primary soul. That soul governed Grimmjow's actions and gave him his unique personality. And while Grimm still had some power, it wasn't anything like a real arrancar. He was literally a ghost now, a shadow of the powerful person he once had been.

So even if he said something there wasn't much Ichigo could do. The hollow was pretty sure that not even Urahara could extract the essence of the Espada from the teen. Not and keep him alive, at least. There just wasn't enough substance to support his independent existence anymore. And was the hollow willing to give up his… friend? Fuck that! Finally, he wasn't lonely. Finally, he was almost happy. He wasn't going to give that up for some stupid little brat wearing a broken piece of bone.

Satisfied with his decision, the hollow left Ichigo to his devices. He wanted to ask Grimmjow a few questions.

When he got back to his inner world, Grimmjow had managed to find a notebook somewhere and was scribbling in it with a pencil. Pencil marks tended to stay put in the inner world, unlike a lot of other mediums. And for some weird reason, books were unaffected by the endless water. The hollow had a theory that Ichigo couldn't stand the thought of books being destroyed so they were automatically protected. He had no way to prove it, though.

"What are you doing?" He said, kneeling beside the former arrancar. Then he blinked as the notepad was shoved towards him. "Huh?"

"Working on a name for you. How about Nemo?" The hollow stared as Grimmjow thumbed through a book. "It has a good meaning… right, yeah, it means nobody."

"Hey!" The hollow said, mildly offended, as he looked over the other names. "Are these all Spanish?" He wasn't too surprised though, hollows seemed to favor that language for some bizarre reason. "Oh for fuck's sake, you are not calling me Pico. Not EVER. Paz? That actually sounds kind of nice." It was short and easy to yell, too. He could picture Grimmjow screaming it with his legs around him. The ex-Espada grinned.

"It means peace though. Not really your thing. Maybe I should take a look at the Japanese baby names." Grimmjow picked up another book and the hollow sighed as he dropped the notebook. He really needed to ask the Espada about the scene he'd just witnessed.

"Hey, arrancar. You know Nel? The little squirt who keeps trying to break Ichigo's neck whenever they meet?" He asked and Grimmjow nodded, not looking up. "Ichigo's in Hueco Mundo now," Grimmjow looked up sharply at that, blue eyes meeting black and gold. "And the little bitch is crying up a storm about you dyin'. Why is she so upset?" He really wanted to know. Grimmjow grimaced, putting his book down.

"Ah. Shit. I thought she didn't remember." Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair as the white hollow waited patiently. "She acted like she was scared shitless of me… umph." He glanced up warily and the hollow just tried to be patient. He wanted to hear this story. "See, way back when we were both Espada and she was Nelliel, we kinda had a thing. Not a really deep thing, more sex than anything, but… yeah. We did it a lot." Grimmjow looked away, scowling at nothing. "We kept it on the lowdown. That kind of shit is a weakness, especially if you really care and we did care a bit. I still wonder if maybe, just maybe, if Nnoitra and Szayel had known they were facing two Espada and not just one things would've gone differently." He brooded for a moment then shook his head. "Probably would have just been two of us with broken masks."

"Yeah, probably." The hollow considered the information and also analyzed how he felt about it. Was he jealous? A little. Not a lot, though. Nel was just a baby now and Grimmjow only existed in Ichigo's inner world. She was no kind of threat to him. "Poor kid is begging him to bring you back. Too bad it ain't possible." He met Grimmjow's eyes and saw frustrated fury in those blue pools.

"Isn't it? You couldn't get me out of here, if you really wanted to?" The ex-Espada said, clearly frustrated and angry. The hollow shook his head.

"No. You don't have the substance to be an Espada anymore. You know that." Black and gold eyes met blue and blue finally looked away. "Got any other names for me?" He asked, changing the subject. Grimmjow went back to his Japanese baby name book.

"Oooh, how about Akiyo? It means white world, according to this." The hollow tested the name out. It didn't sound bad. "Fuyuki, that means snowy winter. Huyu, that just means winter… damn, most of these names are about filial respect and shit, that is so not you… hmmm…" The white hollow smiled as he listened to Grimmjow ramble on. That smile would have shocked Ichigo because it wasn't a smirk or a leer. It was just a smile, and it seemed almost kind.

As kind as a hollow could be.


	2. Creaming up the Clothes

"This is kinda fun."

"Yeah…" The nameless hollow's eyes narrowed and he caught his tongue between his teeth, struggling to win the foosball game. It was a stupid thing to be competitive over, but he just couldn't help it. Trying to win was part of his nature. He failed miserably and cursed as Grimmjow scored a goal. "How do you do that?" The ex-Espada beat him every time. It was getting annoying. There was a laugh from the man across from him.

"I'm just that good. And we had one of these in Los Noches." Grimmjow patted the table and the hollow nodded. He could picture that, oddly enough. "Hey, why don't we have a bet? Another game and whoever wins gets to top tonight."

"No way." The hollow said instantly. "I don't mind giving you a fair chance but I'm not handing you victory on a silver plate!" He and Grimmjow sparred for dominance all the time. The hollow deliberately handicapped himself for those sessions, keeping their power on an even level. He'd realized a long time ago that a fight was no fun unless there was a real chance he could lose. "Why don't we play chess?"

"Oh fuck no! Then you would win, I suck at that shit. How about Risk?" Grimmjow asked and after a bit and forth they settled on Snakes and Ladders. Board games worked really well in Ichigo's inner world, and now that he wasn't alone the hollow was discovering how entertaining they could be. Grimmjow took a seat at one of the tables as the hollow fished out the game and set up the board. Then they began to play in earnest. "Shit!" The white hollow smirked as he made a lucky roll and got his token into the final square. "Guess I'm the bitch tonight."

"Guess you are." The hollow agreed, smirking. Grimmjow just leaned back, stretching a bit before glancing around. The hollow followed his glance to the empty pastry case nearby.

They were hanging out in a place Ichigo didn't much care for. It was a tea shop and the hollow suspected it reminded him of his mother, which was always a bit painful for the teen. But Orihime and Rukia both loved it, so he went anyway. And according to them the pastries and teas were very good. The hollow wouldn't know, so he took it on faith. The reason he liked the place, though, was the very comfy chairs and the nice tables. They were perfect for board games. He also liked the décor, which included some reproductions of the old masters. They were pretty and even before Grimmjow had shown up, the inner hollow had taken the time to just stand in front of them and enjoy the beauty. The foosball table didn't actually belong in the tea shop. They'd taken out several of the tables and put it in to make the place perfect for them.

"If only we had tea and crumpets this would be perfect." The hollow said and took the time to concentrate on Ichigo. _Hey King! I want some fucking tea and crumpets!_ All he got in reply was a command to shut the hell up, and he grinned to himself. He enjoyed tormenting the teen.

"I don't know what the hell a crumpet is, and I hate tea. But give me some coffee and a piece of fucking pie and I will be a happy man." Grimmjow said and the hollow nodded. He had no idea what coffee tasted like, so he'd be more than willing to give it a whirl. _Hey King! Make that coffee and pie!_ The hollow grinned as he got an expletive back. "So hey. What are you going to do anyway, if you manage to take control?" He suddenly asked and the hollow blinked. Grimmjow knew about his aspirations, of course. It was blindingly obvious, really. But what was he going to do?

"Promise you won't laugh?" He asked and the former arrancar nodded. "I'm gonna go to Disney World."

"Disney… World…? What's that?" Grimmjow asked with a puzzled look and the hollow was reminded of the fact that he didn't know much about the real world. Aizen hadn't introduced him to popular culture at all.

"It's this, like, huge freakin' amusement park. Do you know what an amusement park is?" Grimmjow shook his head, to the hollow's frustration. "Shit! Um… it's this place humans go with their kids to have fun. It's kinda silly but there are people dressed up like their favorite TV characters and shit. There are rides you get to go on, games you can play, lots of weird food for sale, face painting… do you understand anything I'm saying?" The hollow said, a little desperately. Grimmjow was looking extremely blank.

"Well, I know what TV is. It's like Szayel's computer monitors but with interesting shit. So I kind of get the characters thing. But what's this about rides?" He asked and Shiro did his best to describe how the mechanical things threw people around. "Huh… I guess that could be fun. Now what's face painting?" That took a while to explain, but Grimmjow finally got the picture. "So this is like a place that's devoted to kid stuff."

"Yeah, kinda. Adults can enjoy it too though. And I really want to see my favorite Disney princess. Princess Jasmine, she's so fucking hot. Would you believe I had a crush on her, when I was just like a month old?" Grimmjow scowled at him and the hollow grinned. "Ease up! She's just a cartoon. She ain't real."

"Good. Otherwise I'd have to kill her." The ex-Espada growled, which made the hollow's cheeks take on a blueish tinge, his version of a blush. That Grimmjow felt that way meant they were really mates, in his head at least. After a moment of thought the hollow decided he felt the same way. It didn't mean Grimmjow wouldn't leave him if he could – being stuck in this place was a huge sacrifice – but they meant something to each other.

"Hey, I just thought of something." The hollow said as an idea occurred to him. A really good idea, too. "There's a fair in Ichigo's inner world, on the outskirts of town. It never goes away, not like the real thing. You wanna go check it out? The rides won't work and there's no food, no face painting either, but a lot of the games will work." Some wouldn't, like the wack a mole. Anything that used electricity didn't work in Ichigo's inner world. Grimmjow looked interested.

"Sure, why not?" He said and the hollow nodded, packing up the Snakes and Ladders game. He was careful with anything he liked. If it got broke, it didn't get replaced. Grimmjow stood up and did a full body stretch, which made him look absolutely delectable. The hollow licked his lips but ignored it. He really wanted to show the other man the fair, and if he got distracted trying to tap that they'd never make it. Besides, if he recalled correctly there was a tunnel of love. It would be fitting if they made it live up to its name…

"So have you decided on a name for yourself yet?" Grimmjow asked as they walked through the town. There was no reason to rush. The hollow thought about it for a long moment. The arrancar had come up with a long list of names he liked, and the white hollow was trying to figure out which ones he liked best.

"Yeah, I think I have. I really like Masahiko, but I've decided that Akiyo is gonna be my name. Akiyo Izo Yukimura. That means snowy village." He added in case Grimmjow didn't know. He'd thought about taking nothing but a first name, or just two names, but he'd finally decided on three. He liked Izo almost as much as Akiyo.

"I like it. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Akiyo Yukimura. Sounds good together." He purred and the hollow grinned. Two very different names, different roots, but they did sound good together. Just like the two of them came from very different places but still got along like a house on fire.

"Yeah, I like it. Wonder if I should tell King?" Akiyo considered it for a moment then snorted. "Fuck that and fuck King, too. Little bitch." He muttered, glancing up at the 'sky'. There were still plenty of disturbances there. "Why can't the bastard just be happy?" He didn't understand it. Ichigo had everything. A life, people who loved him, girls practically throwing themselves at his feet. Plenty of enemies to kill, too. And so far he hadn't even lost any of his friends, just gotten killed several times himself. Akiyo understood that war was hell, to humans, but shit. Wasn't it hell because the people you cared about died? So far he'd managed to protect them all. What was the fucking problem?

"I don't know. After living as an arrancar under Aizen's thumb, then living in this empty world, I really don't know." Grimmjow glanced up at the sky too, his gaze remote as he thought. "He always seemed so… arrogant, when I was fighting him. So sure he'd win. It sure is different, seeing all this and having you explaining what it means." Akiyo nodded. It had been almost two years since he'd been awakened and he'd become an expert at reading all of his King's moods. "Guess most of that confidence was a pose."

"Eh, sort of. When he's fighting it gets all calm in here. He's too fixated on the fight to care about anything, y'see. It's when he's doing other stuff that he gets all emo and shit." Akiyo rolled his eyes as Grimmjow laughed. Then he blinked as the ex-Espada suddenly gripped his arm.

"Hey, check out this shit." The hollow tilted his head to one side as the arrancar pulled him into a store. "I love this place. Why don't you try something new? That jacket and hakama is nice, but there's some really good shit in here."

"Hmm… sure, why not." He agreed, glancing around. He could change his own clothing – it all came out of his imagination – but he couldn't give it colors. It was always black and white, reflecting his nature. Here he could try on some colors and see how they looked. "We might not get to the fair today, though, if we keep this up."

"Who cares?" Grimmjow said indifferently as he began sorting through shirts. Akiyo glanced around and made a beeline to a shirt that had metal studs on it. It looked rather nice, to his eyes anyway. "It's still gonna be there tomorrow."

"Got me there." He allowed. After pulling out the shirt, he grimaced. He wasn't going to wear a shirt with 'sexy bitch' spelled out in metal studs. "Is this women's? …Shit, it is." Although that gave him some interesting ideas. Maybe he'd try them out some other time. It wasn't like he had any sense of shame. "Okay – eh?" He blinked as a bunch of clothing got shoved into his arms.

"Try those on, you'll look great." Grimmjow promised and Akiyo shrugged, going to the change room. It didn't take long for him to strip – he just made his clothing vanish – and then he pulled on the new threads, checking himself in the mirror.

"Not bad." He murmured before stepping out. Grimmjow did have good taste. He'd picked out a royal blue sleeveless shirt with black, horizontal stripes. The blue jeans he was wearing had been artistically torn, revealing black 'patches' beneath. The belt he was wearing was simple black leather and held his pants up well enough. "I like the pants." They really were stylish as hell. Grimmjow looked him over critically for a moment.

"You need some accessories. Try this." He found a leather cuff with big crystals on it. Akiyo thought it was probably meant for a woman, but it did dress up his outfit nicely. "And this." A leather necklace with a black metal key and a silver heart hanging off it. Akiyo looked at them curiously.

"Is that supposed to be the key to my heart?" He said jokingly. Grimmjow grinned, gripping the necklace and pulling him close for a passionate kiss.

"If it is, I should be wearing it." The former arrancar breathed in his ear and Akiyo swallowed hard before grinning. He reached down to gently touch Grimmjow's hollow hole, ignoring the sharply indrawn breath as he stroked the edge of it with his thumb.

"You think you have the keys to my heart?" Akiyo said teasingly as Grimmjow growled, then abruptly shoved him back into the change room. His back hit the wall with bruising force, and one of the wall hooks inflicted a bit of pain. But he hardly cared. His hierro was strong and pain was what hollow mating was all about. Then Grimmjow was on him, big hands cupping his ass and kneading him through the jeans. Akiyo groaned as those pants abruptly got far, far too tight and gripped soft blue hair, pulling him into a harsh, painful kiss. They were both using their teeth and not giving a damn about the blood in their mouths. "Hey, weren't you going to be the bitch tonight?" He growled and Grimmjow laughed.

"Make me!" The ex-Espada said and Akiyo's eyes flashed before he surged up against the other man's grip, knocking him out of the change room. He stumbled into a rack of clothing, which fell to the ground with a massive clatter. The inner hollow grinned wickedly as a thought occurred to him. He pounced onto Grimmjow, wrestling with him in the fallen clothing.

If he'd unleashed his power, Akiyo could have overpowered Grimmjow in a heartbeat. But he didn't. Instead he did nothing but wrestle, trying to overcome the ex-Espada with skill and ferocity. Grimmjow was panting and sheened with sweat, which made Akiyo lick his lips in anticipation. The feeling of hard muscles against him was driving him mad, but he was determined to make the former arrancar submit.

He finally managed it, pinning Grimmjow onto his stomach with one arm twisted behind his back. Then Akiyo gasped as the bastard made the best of his position and slowly, teasingly rubbed his ass against his lover's fully clothed crotch. His cock signalled its heartfelt approval and Akiyo growled before gripping Grimmjow's shirt –

"Don't rip that off you jackass! It's real!" Akiyo blinked and relaxed his hands, scowling. This was the annoying part about wearing clothing from the stores. If they damaged them, they wouldn't come back.

"Then take it off, bitch." He whispered in Grimmjow's ear, letting go of his arm. The blue haired man didn't protest the term for him, or try to start the battle again. Instead he began stripping and Akiyo unzipped himself, grinning as he pulled out his little friend. Grimmjow could be naked, but he would stay clothed. That was his privilege as the current dominant in their 'relationship'.

A normal hollow wouldn't have bothered with foreplay, just gone at his mate like a bitch in heat. And while the thought was tempting, Akiyo had a bit more control than that. Instead of just turning Grimm over and sodomizing him, he shoved the ex-Espada back into the 'bed' of fallen clothing and began playing with his length while rubbing his own cock against the man's ass. Grimmjow growled and shoved himself to his knees, taking the classic doggy style pose. That gave Akiyo a bit more room to maneuver and he used it, sliding his hand up and down Grimm's shaft. He fingered the tip, finding a bead of precum and using it to add a bit of slickness to the length. Not that it would help too much, lotions didn't work well underwater. Or lube, for that matter, but he gave it a try anyway and sucked on his fingers a bit before sticking them into that muscular ass. Grimmjow's yelp of pain quickly turned into a harsh growl of pleasure as Akiyo found his pleasure spot. They did this a lot more than blowjobs, and he was quite a bit better at it.

Akiyo didn't really try too hard to stretch his partner out before slamming his cock inside in one quick, brutal motion. Grimmjow howled, tossing his head back at the sudden onslaught of pain, but the white hollow didn't stop moving for a moment. The ex-Espada might be much reduced, but he still had enough hierro to protect himself from this and Akiyo just concentrated on finding that hidden button inside him. He knew he'd done it when the note of Grimmjow's howl changed. It wasn't too different, but he knew the sound of ecstasy from the sound of agony.

"So fucking good." He grunted as he gripped his partner's hips, enjoying the hot suction around his cock as he took Grimmjow with a harsh, unforgiving rhythm. His pants rubbed against bare skin, adding a tiny rustling as he fucked the arrancar, and his shirt added a bit too as he pressed his chest against the other man's back. It was dirty and fucking sexy, taking Grimmjow like this, in the middle of a store on a pile of clothes.

Their grunts and gasps filled the air, punctuated with howls of pleasure. Akiyo gave in to the joy he was experiencing and let loose with his own howl. The sound made the hangers rattle and Grimmjow seemed determined to compete with it, unleashing a yowl so high pitched it made the hollow fucking him wonder if he could shatter the windows with it. Fortunately, the glass remained intact, but Akiyo laughed. It was a high, insane cackle brought on by the thought of Ichigo feeling the windows in his mind breaking and coming to see what was wrong. He could feel damage to his inner world and it made him uncomfortable.

Grimmjow didn't ask why he was laughing. The ex-Espada clearly couldn't give less of a crap, his length throbbing painfully and his head lowered. Sweat was dripping off him, falling into the pile of clothing and Akiyo licked his shoulder as he thrust in even harder, reaching down to squeeze that huge boner. He wanted to make the former arrancar cum first, and that meant it needed to be soon. They'd been doing this a while and his own cock and balls were just aching for completion. Akiyo grinned, then suddenly bit down on that shoulder. White teeth penetrated pale skin almost effortlessly and Grimmjow screamed, throwing his head back as he orgasmed. Thick, creamy cum splattered all over the clothing as large hands tore the cloth, riding out the spasms of pleasure. Akiyo gripped his lovers hips and pistoned in as hard as he could. A few harsh strokes later and he came, venting a primal scream of ecstasy.

They slowly came down from the high, panting and joined together. Akiyo smiled for a moment before brushing his lips over the back of Grimmjow's neck, resting one hand over the arrancar's. This was the time they showed each other tender gestures, after the violent passion of mating. He vaguely wondered what his King would think, seeing this. Or the other shinigami, for that matter. They thought that hollows were nothing but animal instincts and violence, which was largely true. Akiyo doubted they would believe hollows were capable of love. Of course, they might decide the two of them were hardly hollows at all. Akiyo was technically still alive and Grimmjow was a fallen arrancar, almost a plus despite his hollow hole.

Akiyo slowly pulled away, making Grimmjow whine softly and shiver slightly as cum ran out of his hole, sliding down his legs. The white hollow lapped it away, cleaning off his mate before using a bit of already soiled cloth to wipe himself off. Then he surveyed the damage.

"Shit, we really did a number on this stuff. Good thing it was one of the women's racks." Was his opinion. Neither of them had planned to wear it anyway. Grimmjow laughed, his voice a little scratchy from all the screaming. He moved a bit to the side, avoiding the worst of the mess as he lay down on his side.

"Yeah. Mmm, that was good." He murmured and Akiyo nodded, grinning. It had been damned good. "Y'know, fuck the amusement park. I wanna have a nap, right here, right now."

"Oh yeah? Well, okay." Akiyo glanced around and found some nice, thick sweaters. Pulling a few of them off the hangers, he used them to wrap up his mate. Grimmjow curled into the warm fabric before making a soft purring sound. The white hollow smiled in pleasure before gently kissing his cheek. He knew Grimmjow only made that sound when he was very content, and it always made him feel warm inside. Akiyo settled in beside his mate, resting his cheek against Grimmjow's shoulder as he let exhaustion take him. They could always visit the amusement park tomorrow.

There was never a hurry, in this prison of a world.

* * *

_Interesting._

_Until now I've never had a chance to observe hollow mating rituals. I was aware that hollows could mate and produce cubs, from my masters' lessons. But we hardly ever encountered any menos, let alone a mated pair. I was under the impression they were quite rare._

_Unfortunately, I am not here for scientific observation. I almost wish I was, what I must do almost pains me. But it must be done. These two may have resigned themselves to their captivity, but I have not. This underwater world foils me at every turn but sooner or later, there will be an opening._

_And then I will be free._


	3. Cross Dressing and Stunned Fish

"Oh for fuck's sake." Akiyo sighed as he listened to the sounds filtering through the underwater world.

"Is this a porn film or some shit? All we need is a really cheesy soundtrack." Grimmjow asked as he cleaned out his ear with a pinky finger. His white companion groaned, resting his forehead in one hand.

"Worse. King is getting it on." It wasn't the first time this had happened. When Ichigo was consumed with a strong emotion, be it terror or pleasure, his voice filtered down into his inner world. That was useful sometimes. It let his inner hollow know that something was going on that required his attention, anyway. Other times it was a pain in the ass, and this was one of those times. "At least I'm not completely alone anymore. When this happened before I had to just endure it then wank a bit." Not that he found Ichigo's voice, panting and moaning, that sexy. But until he'd acquired a mate, he'd been damned frustrated. There was a laugh from his friend and Akiyo glanced at him curiously.

"Are you telling me that all the time we've been in here together, this is the first time he's gotten laid?" The ex-Espada asked and Akiyo blinked. "Hey Kurosaki! You're fucking lame!" He yelled and the hollow slowly grinned. It was an evil, evil grin that promised torment for his King.

"You know, I just had an idea. I bet I could take you with me when I look through King's eyes." Akiyo said and Grimmjow blinked, before grinning. It was just as evil as the inner hollow's grin.

"Oh fuck yes! Do it, do it!" Grimmjow urged him and Akiyo concentrated hard. It wasn't that easy – Grimmjow was not supposed to be part of Ichigo's inner world, not the way he was – but he managed it. And they got an excellent view of peach skin and brilliant red hair. Then an even better view of some really lovely tits. Tits his King was caressing as he moved against the girl, making her moan.

_Wow. Good going Kurosaki, she looks even better than I thought she would! I should have tapped that when I had the chance._ Grimmjow's voice rang out very clearly and Ichigo jerked in reaction.

"Grimmjow?!" There was a confused sound from Orihime and Akiyo couldn't hold it in anymore. He laughed hysterically, his voice an insane cackle. "You! Shut up!"

"Ichigo…?" Orihime panted out, gripping his hips and trying to urge him on. He'd stopped moving, distracted by his inner demons. "What's… wrong…?"

"Sorry Orihime, sorry." Ichigo whispered, gently kissing her throat. "Just my inner hollow pretending to be Grimmjow… don't make me go in there after you." He muttered to the squatter in his mind, which shut the hollow up. Ichigo couldn't know, but Akiyo really, really didn't want that to happen. Quickly severing the connection the hollow returned himself and Grimmjow to the inner world.

"Oi, what the hell? I wasn't done, I was gonna critique his technique!" Grimmjow complained and Akiyo grinned at the thought. But then the grin faded.

"I don't want him to come in here. The bastard might sense you even if you hide, and then I'm sure he'll get that asshole who runs the shop to try and pull you out." Just the thought made him feel sick. He'd been alone so long, he didn't think he could bear it again. Grimmjow scowled, looking away.

"…You're sure I can't leave?" He said quietly and Akiyo flinched. He knew Grimmjow wanted to go and didn't really blame him, but it still hurt a little.

"No, I'm not sure, I'm not a scientist. But I am sure the shinigami won't give a shit if pulling you out will kill you. In fact, you're an Espada, they might _prefer_ to kill you." He said and Grimmjow's scowl deepened for a moment before he sighed.

"Ain't that the truth? Okay, let's let Kurosaki get his groove on then. Did you want to play Risk?" He asked and Akiyo nodded. A good game of Risk sounded nice right now.

It would take their minds off the porn track going on overhead.

* * *

"Akiyo! Where the fuck are you?" The white hollow ignored the call, adjusting his clothing and looking at himself in a mirror.

"How do I look?" He asked Zangetsu. The zanpakuto was watching him with a pained expression.

"Gorgeous." He said with a sigh, making the hollow grin. As it turned out, Zangetsu had had enough female wielders over the years that he knew how to apply makeup. Akiyo had prevailed on him to bring out his feminine side.

He was wearing a dress. But not just any dress. Ichigo had apparently visited this store at one time, probably carrying bags for Rangiku or Rukia. This store specialized in gorgeous dresses, the kind that were meant for formal occasions. They didn't fit him, of course, but that was nothing that a bit of stuffing couldn't fix. And the place also sold special bras, meant for those who needed a bit of prosthetic help. One of those combined with a bit of tissue had given him a very credible boob job.

The dress he'd picked out was interesting. The underdress was a vivid red, but it was softened by an overdress of black chiffon. The chiffon was tightly pleated, so the effect was a black and scarlet color that had immediately caught the hollow's attention. His shoulders were adorned with beautiful rhinestone ornaments, and there was another such ornament beneath his bust. The gown was tight there, and then flowed to the floor in a beautiful wave. That helped to disguise the fact that he didn't have much in the way of hips. Altogether, it was very flattering on him and Akiyo stretched out a leg with a grin. The dress was slit on one side almost to the hip, and he paused to admire the patterned thigh high socks he was wearing. They were black and studded with little rhinestones.

The makeup had been a bit tough, with his dead white complexion. But Zangetsu had managed it, and he was looking amazingly like a girl. His long hair had been released from its usual tie and brushed out until it floated behind him like a wave of silk. Two thick pieces on either side had been pulled back, joined together in a braid that slid down the middle. Akiyo loved that little touch.

"Akiyo! What the hell?" Grimmjow was starting to sound really pissed. The hollow grinned and gave Zangetsu a peck on the cheek before going to the door. The zanpakuto just stared after him, utterly mystified by the action. Akiyo didn't stick around to watch his confusion, though. No, he went outside and called out.

"Over here!" He waited by the door, taking a sexy pose and extending his leg from the slit of his dress. Grimmjow took one look and stopped dead in his tracks, his blue eyes going wide. "Hello there, handsome. Want to take me somewhere… interesting?" He said in his best sexy voice.

"Are you fucking with me?" Grimmjow said in disbelief, his eyes roving up and down his lovers' body. "What the… how'd you…" His brain appeared to be shutting down. It was really kind of hilarious to watch and Akiyo grinned wickedly.

"Don't you like it? I know you like girls." He sashayed up to the arrancar, sliding a hand over his muscular chest. "I thought you might like this, too." He watched as Grimmjow shook off his shock and grinned like a shark, the bones on his cheek parting. Then the other man gripped him by the waist and kissed him. Instead of fighting back, Akiyo played the demure maiden to the hilt, letting the arrancar lead the kiss.

"You are fucking gorgeous." Grimmjow said as they parted, glancing him over again. "Nice boobs, they look real." As he talked his hands were exploring, sliding up that slit skirt to cup his ass. "Wait, what – are you wearing a thong under there?" He flipped up the skirt to take a look and the hollow laughed.

"You like?" From the look on Grimmjow's face, he definitely liked. The thong was bright red and made his package look huge. Akiyo wrapped a leg around the arrancar's waist and kissed him again, smiling at the way the lipstick was coming off onto him. Just little smudges of red, it made it look like Grimmjow had been eating raw meat. He liked the effect.

"Does this mean I'm going to top?" He said with a throaty growl and the white hollow laughed as big hands began sliding down the thong, exploring his crack.

"Shit yes. Ravish me, you bastard." He purred into Grimmjow's ear. Vaguely, Akiyo wished they could have a real night on the town the way humans did it. A meal, entertainment, dancing… all a lead up to the main event, a way to whet the appetite. At least, that was why he thought they did it. And he thought it could be damn sexy, tantalizing each other that way. But there was no food, no live shows, not even any music in the inner world. Nothing but the sex, so he put it out of mind. He'd enjoy what he had.

And Grimmjow did not disappoint him. The arrancar gripped his ass, lifting him up and slamming him against the brick wall of the shop. Akiyo wrapped his legs around that muscular waist, gripping his shoulders and holding himself up easily. The skirt was hiked up and slid to the side, the slit helping considerably. Grimmjow yanked his pants and boxers down, freeing his cock, and Akiyo grinned as he saw it was erect and ready for action. But how could it not be?

Then that huge cock stabbed into him and Akiyo yelped in pain, tossing his head back and snarling softly. The pain was a turn on, and his hierro prevented any real tearing. A moment later his fingers dug into Grimmjow's shoulders as the arrancar's erection rubbed against his prostate, teasing him with just a ghost of pleasure. And the bastard knew exactly what he was doing, too. Akiyo could see it in his eyes and his shit eating grin.

"Stop… teasing… augh!" He gasped as the pressure and pleasure gradually increased until Grimmjow was hitting him hard, sending jolts of fire to his groin with every thrust. "Oh fuck!" His eyes almost crossed as a large, callused hand freed itself from his ass and began to jerk him off, fingers grazing the tip of his erection and making the head weep. "Sh-shit!" Caught between what was happening in his ass and the hand around his cock, Akiyo threw back his head and howled his passion. The sound of a hollow mating echoed through the city and to his absolute hilarity, a voice came back.

_Keep it down in there you lunatic!_ Ichigo sounded pissed and the hollow dissolved into a fit of laughter, Grimmjow's laugh joining him. Fortunately his King didn't hear that, or he would have had a lot of questions. Then the laugh turned into another keening howl, and he really didn't care if Ichigo heard. This felt too good to hold back. But there was no complaint from the teen, and Akiyo vaguely realized that Zangetsu was blocking him from hearing. He made a mental note to himself. He really owed the zanpakuto for this… then he completely forgot about it as Grimmjow kissed him, chewing on his bottom lip. The tang of blood filled his mouth but Akiyo didn't mind the mild pain. Quite the contrary, it felt wonderful.

Hissing, the white hollow dug his nails into Grimmjow's shoulders, tearing through the fabric of his shirt and leaving bloody lines on his skin. Then he kissed the arrancar's throat, leaving behind more lipstick smudges, marking his territory. Grimmjow responded in kind, sucking on his soft white skin and penetrating the hierro enough to leave a hickey behind. Akiyo screamed, his back arching as the pleasure became almost overwhelming, then whimpered as Grimmjow squeezed the base of his erection, holding him back. He wanted to cum, damnit!

"Oh fuck… fuck…" He murmured, black and gold eyes wide as the arrancar slammed into him over and over again. Grimmjow was clearly reaching his limits, blue eyes wide and feral with lust and mating instincts. But then he grinned wickedly, blue eyes shining with malicious pleasure.

"Beg for it." He snarled and Akiyo howled again, tightening sharply around his partner. "Ah! Good but… beg… argh!" Grimmjow howled with him and Akiyo considered just tightening his muscles again. He was pretty sure Grimmjow couldn't hold out much longer. But then maybe he wouldn't let go of the base of his cock, and that would be too much.

"Please! Please, you motherfucker, let me cum!" He begged and the grip released, turning into a few hard jerks that made stars erupt behind his eyes. "FUCK!" The white hollow came with another scream and Grimmjow's howl harmonized with it as the arrancar emptied himself into his mate. Akiyo gasped, enjoying the feeling of Grimmjow's seed filling him. It was a shame there wouldn't be any cubs, but that was something neither of them could do, not as prisoners within Ichigo's inner world. "Ahhh." Akiyo relaxed, nuzzling the other man's throat and smiling as Grimmjow gave him a gentle, tender kiss.

"My mate." The arrancar whispered and that small declaration warmed Akiyo down to his toes.

"My mate." He replied, affirming the statement and felt Grimmjow's arms tighten around him for a moment. Then he dropped his legs, finding his footing and glancing over his dress. "Ah. Not bad." His cum had largely hit Grimmjow, which was fine really. His shirt was already badly torn. "Oops." He muttered as Grimmjow glanced over his back at the damage. But the ex-Espada just shrugged and stripped it off.

"It wasn't my favorite anyway." He said with a grin, which was a relief. "Here." He flipped the skirt aside again, and used the remains of his shirt to clean off a bit of the cum. It would wash away quickly enough, but that was still nice. Akiyo reached into his pocket – the dress had one single pocket, on the un-slit side – and pulled out several kleenexs. The job went even faster with those to use. "Hey, kleenex's work underwater? What the fuck?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." He said wearily. King's world really made no sense sometimes. "I think they have the same protection as books do but I dunno. I'm just glad they work." If they were nothing but a soggy mess, cleaning up things would be so much harder. "You want to know what's really weird? Paper towels don't work. They don't even exist here, anymore. They all vanished after the place flooded."

"Okay, that's seriously fucked up. Does this place have any real rules?" Grimmjow asked and Akiyo just shrugged. King's world did have general rules, but there were always exceptions. It was an interesting place to live. "Nice shoes by the way."

"You like?" Akiyo said, pleased, as he stretched out one foot. He was wearing black, dressy sandals with very thick soles. They made him several inches taller, which was good because the gown was really a bit too long. "I think they'd be great for kicking someone in the fork." It had been his first thought when he'd saw them. He blinked as Grimmjow made a choking sound.

"Okay, if we're gonna have a spar you gotta take those off." The arrancar said and Akiyo grinned. That was hilarious. "So what do you want to do now?"

"Hmm." Akiyo considered it a moment. "Why don't we go down to the bar? The one that has a karaoke stage? There's no music and no booze but we can sing." He liked to sing, in fact, and Grimmjow had an excellent voice. "We could do a duet. Might be fun." Although alcohol would have made it a lot better. For about the thousandth time, he cursed Ichigo for the lack of food in his inner world. Really, would it have killed him to give them something to eat? But Akiyo knew that wasn't fair. His stupid King probably didn't have enough control over himself to give them anything.

"Sure, why not." Grimmjow agreed. They linked their arms together and went off, for all the world like a young couple taking a stroll. Well, except for the lack of a shirt and the scratches on Grimmjow's back. And the nice hickey on Akiyo's neck.

But they were hollows, after all.

* * *

"Woo hoo!" Grimmjow propelled himself through the water, grinning as he tried to beat Zangetsu to the ball. Akiyo grinned as he watched the zanpakuto shoulder the arrancar out of the way, grabbing the ball and tossing it to him. "Hey you fuckers! Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Mine?" Akiyo replied as he got the ball and nailed a fish with it. The fish floated up, stunned, and the hollow grinned. "Score!"

They were playing an odd sort of game, suited to an odd sort of place. The objective of the game was to stun as many fish as you could. Akiyo and Grimmjow were both playing to win, but Zangetsu was a wild card. He didn't care about winning something so silly, but he did seem to enjoy playing the other two combatants off on each other. Akiyo had wondered why he'd agreed to play and now he was getting an idea of why.

"We're low on fish. Scene change!" Grimmjow got the ball again and raced off, looking for more fish. Akiyo cackled in joy before following, Zangetsu trailing behind. "There's some!" They got over the local mall and Akiyo glanced down. He could see his reflection in the skylights.

* * *

_Finally! But I must be careful. If only the zanpakuto weren't there this would be so much easier… but I will find a way…_

* * *

Akiyo leapt forward, feeling a light tug on his clothing before he got the ball. There was a fish below him and he cast it straight down. Unfortunately, he missed the fish and his eyes went wide as he realized where the ball was going to go. Grimmjow and Zangetsu saw it as well, but none of them were close enough to stop it. The ball hit the roof of the mall with the sound of a thousand windows shattering and Akiyo cringed.

* * *

_DAMN!_

* * *

_What the hell are you idiots doing in there?!_ Akiyo cringed again as Ichigo's voice rolled over them. He sounded outraged and the inner hollow could hardly blame him. If having a normal window broken hurt him, how would having the entire roof of the mall broken feel? That stuff wasn't real glass, it was a plexiglass material, but it hadn't been strong enough to withstand the hollow's full strength.

"Uh… fucking up? Big time?" Akiyo said with absolute honesty as Grimmjow went to look for the ball. If he didn't find it, there was a sporting goods store in the mall, getting a new one would be no problem. Then Zangetsu spoke.

"It was my fault as well, Ichigo. We were… playing a game." The admission clearly pained the serious and stoic zanpakuto and Akiyo sent him a grateful look. He was honestly getting rather fond of Zangetsu. He seemed to approve of the hollow's relationship with Grimmjow, and showed it in many ways. There was a pause and then Ichigo sighed.

_Sorry Jii-san, I shouldn't have yelled. But you gave me an instant migraine. Can you please not do that again?_ Akiyo noticed how Ichigo was suddenly polite when he realized he was talking to Zangetsu, and scowled. Then he sighed and turned away. Why should the teen be polite to his inner hollow, anyway?

"We will be more careful." Zangetsu promised and they both felt Ichigo's attention wandering away. Grimmjow came back with a new ball that he promptly tossed at a fish. Another stunned fish floated for the surface as the arrancar laughed.

"An instant migraine? Hey, let's go look for some more windows!" He said cheerfully and Akiyo cackled, but shook his head.

"We don't want him coming in here to yell at us. Although it would be funny as fuck." What would his King make of his zanpakuto playing a game with his hollow and the ghost of his worst enemy? Akiyo grinned as Zangetsu got the ball and took aim at a fish.

It would certainly be interesting.


	4. The Enemy Within

"This game is fuckin' hard!" Grimmjow growled as he carefully took aim. Akiyo watched with a grin, leaning against a pole. It had taken them days to get to the fair. They'd been distracted several times then just outright forgot for a while. But they'd finally gotten there and they were both enjoying it.

They couldn't play any electrical games or use any of the rides, but that still left several games that used nothing but muscles and coordination. A lot of them were very easy, like the dart games. Some were slightly difficult, like the fish game… well, that was difficult if you insisted on playing until you snared a red fish like Grimmjow had… and some were very difficult, like the game they were playing now. Akiyo shrugged himself away from the pole and went up beside his mate, snagging a ball. The object of this game was to get the ball inside one of the jars. It was actually very hard, the ball liked to hit the rims and bounce away. The different jars were color coded, too, and the coveted color was green. Grimmjow growled as his ball bounced away again.

"Damn! I am going to get this." He snarled as Akiyo narrowed his eyes then smoothly cast his ball. It neatly slid into a yellow rimmed jar. "Oh fuck you!"

"See, the problem is you keep trying for that green. There's a reason why it's the top color, the jar is just a little smaller, see?" Akiyo said with a grin and Grimmjow hissed before trying for a different jar. His ball still bounced away. "Although it's just not that easy." The white hollow allowed, picking up another ball and trying again. This time he failed miserably. "Heh."

"Ah, fuck this." Grimmjow set down the ball, glancing around. "What's that wheel thing? I bet that would work." Akiyo followed his gaze to a very large wheel with numbers around it.

"I bet it would, but I don't know the rules for that one." Unlike many of the other games, it wasn't self-explanatory and he'd never seen Ichigo try it. "How about the ring toss?" That involved tossing rings onto coca-cola bottles.

"Sure, looks good." Soon they quickly racked up a high score, easily tossing rings onto bottles. "Easy game… say, didn't you say something about a tunnel of love? I could use some lovin' right now." Grimmjow leered at him playfully and Akiyo grinned.

"You're such a horndog, I fucking love it." He said with a laugh before taking Grimmjow's hand. "It's down by the stream." There was a small stream here, and the Tunnel of Love had been set up around it. They had to walk through the fair to reach it and Akiyo felt a moment of sadness as he glanced over the empty midway. This place should have been bustling with activity, full of people enjoying the day. Instead, it was completely barren, a parody of what a fair should be.

"Wait, what the fuck is this?" Grimmjow stopped dead as he saw the stream and Akiyo snickered, realizing this was the first time he'd seen water in Ichigo's underwater world. "How in HELL does this work?" He knelt down on the bank of the stream, sticking his hand in the heavier 'water' that lay within the streambed. Akiyo shrugged.

"Got me." He gazed into the perfectly still, reflective surface. It was as though Ichigo's mind had created a heavier, thicker water to go into the streams and rivers of his inner world. So despite the whole place being underwater, they could still use a boat. It was messed up but Akiyo wasn't going to question it too much. "C'mon, the boats are right over here." There was a place you were supposed to put a ticket to get through, but they both just jumped over. Then they grabbed a swan boat and Akiyo grinned as they began to float down the stream. There was a natural current and they would fetch up at the other end after maybe ten, fifteen minutes of travelling. That would be the other side of the fair and they could explore a few places they hadn't been yet.

"So… the tunnel of love, huh? I think I know something else called that…" Grimmjow nipped his ear and Akiyo grinned, pulling the arrancar in for a kiss.

"Yeah, me too." He breathed heavily in his ear, letting the blue haired man dominate him. They'd sparred earlier to determine who would have the privilege, and this time Grimmjow had won. Akiyo didn't mind a bit.

He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

_Perfect._

* * *

Akiyo's eyes went wide as the boat suddenly tilted crazily. Grimmjow yelped in panic, gripping him as something shoved the boat completely over. They both went into the water and Akiyo thrashed frantically before hitting his head on the capsized boat. Swearing to himself, he swam out from under the plastic and popped his head out, glaring around.

"Who's the fucking wiseguy?" He snarled as he tried to figure out what had happened. Zangetsu wouldn't do something like that. _King! Did you just fuck with me?_

_No. Why would I do that?_ Ichigo sounded bored and Akiyo frowned. Grimmjow was cursing up a storm but he ignored it, worry gnawing on his mind. He thought Ichigo was telling him the truth but _something_ had tossed the boat. If it wasn't the teen then what had it been?

Then his eyes went wide as he was lifted up into the air. The white hollow tried to struggle but his arms were forced out from his sides. He was vaguely aware of Grimmjow's curses abruptly stopping, but ignored it as he was hit with a sudden stab of recognition. _This attack… I know this! I've felt this before!_ Looking down into the 'water' the hollow drew a sharp breath. The reflective surface was showing dozens of tentacles, holding him in place.

"Grimmjow! You need to – mph!" Akiyo blinked as something cold, wet and very flexible got between his teeth and onto his tongue. "MMPH!" He fought wildly as the tentacle forced itself into his mouth, effectively gagging him. Since the things were invisible, except in the water, it probably looked very weird.

"Akiyo!" Grimmjow had no idea what was happening and Akiyo couldn't tell him. The white hollow watched in absolute frustration as the arrancar launched himself out of the water and then was snared by more of the tentacles. "Fuck! What the fuck is this?"

_Muramasa._ Akiyo reached out to his King. _King! We got trouble in – argh!_ Another tentacle began choking him, pressing so hard on his hierro that sparks danced before his eyes. He struggled violently but could not break free of the grip.

_Stop messing around._ Came the apathetic reply and Akiyo wanted to scream in frustration. Instead he reached out to Zangetsu. He felt the zanpakuto's alarm, but he was rapidly losing consciousness. He did manage to give the other zanpakuto the identity of the intruder, just before the darkness took him under.

It seemed like no time at all before Akiyo roused himself, but he knew it must have been at least a little while. He woke up to a pounding headache and the sound of Grimmjow swearing. Lifting his head, the white hollow saw that they were both chained up in a small room. In front of them was a very familiar zanpakuto. Akiyo frowned as he studied him.

Muramasa was still wearing all the same clothes, but there was something a bit off about him. Mostly, he just wasn't looking very good. Akiyo frowned as he examined the zanpakuto. It was hard to tell with the purple markings around his eyes, but he thought there were dark circles there. And he definitely looked pale and unhealthy. His hands shook slightly as he pushed back a wisp of hair and the white hollow's eyes narrowed.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be dead?" He asked and Grimmjow ground to a halt in his diatribe, snarling. The zanpakuto gave him a small smile, gesturing with his long fingernails.

"Indeed. I do not know why I didn't die." He examined those nails for a moment, a gesture Akiyo remembered well. "Instead, I ended up here. I was unconscious for some time, but then I woke up. Unfortunately, I have a problem. I am hoping you can help me rectify it." The white hollow frowned. He didn't like where this was going. "As you know, I am a zanpakuto. However, this inner world is not mine. I can take some power from it, but not enough to maintain myself indefinitely. If I do not do something, I will die." Muramasa looked up from his hand, meeting Akiyo's gaze. "You will give your power to me and I will use it to defeat Kurosaki Ichigo and take possession of this world."

"And why would I do that?" The hollow asked, playing for time. He understood what was going on now. Muramasa was using the last of his energy to keep them contained in these chains. If he could keep the zanpakuto talking long enough than maybe… but Muramasa knew that, too. He walked over to Grimmjow and Akiyo stiffened. "Leave him out of this!"

"I do not have any time for discussion." He held out a hand and a sword appeared in it. Grimmjow just snarled, straining at his chains. "As you have no doubt surmised, I am using the last of my power to keep you here. Yield to me, now, or I will kill this hollow." His sword pricked the ex-Espada's throat and Akiyo felt frozen for a moment.

But only a moment. He remembered how it had felt, being alone except for Zangetsu. It was normal for a zanpakuto to be alone, but he was a hollow. The more advanced they became the more they craved companionship, which was why fraccion emerged. Akiyo refused to go back to being alone. And beyond that, Grimmjow was his mate. It was very rare for a hollow to sacrifice themselves, even for a mate, but he wasn't a normal hollow. He licked his lips for a moment, meeting Grimmjow's eyes, seeing the fury in those blue orbs.

"Don't do it. He won't let me live anyway." Grimmjow grated out but Muramasa shook his head.

"If you yield to me, I promise that he will remain unharmed in this inner world." He said and Akiyo believed him. That settled things and he nodded.

"Fine. I'll yield to you." He said, ignoring Grimmjow's scream of denial. Then he gasped as Muramasa raised his hand. It wasn't painful, but the feeling was very strange. It was a little like falling asleep and the hollow briefly struggled against it before remembering he had consented. Then he just quietly let go, allowing the zanpakuto to take control. Everything became vague and his perspective shifted. To his vague surprise, Akiyo realized he was looking through Muramasa's eyes. He was still conscious, but it felt like he was dreaming. The zanpakuto left the room to start his conflict with Ichigo and if he could have smiled, the white hollow would have.

This could almost be fun.

* * *

"Are you sure he's not playing some kind of trick on us?" At Zangetsu's urging, Ichigo had gone home early from school and entered his inner world. Now he was standing on a building and looking around, a frown on his face. "Muramasa is dead, jii-san." Ichigo was absolutely certain of that. He'd seen the zanpakuto vanish.

"I cannot say how he is alive, Ichigo. But that is what your hollow said before he was silenced." Zangetsu was extremely anxious and Ichigo scowled.

"I wouldn't believe him if he said the sun was coming up tomorrow." He grumbled. Then he started as a voice interrupted them.

"That is most unkind. Akiyo was absolutely truthful." They both turned to see the rogue zanpakuto, standing on the roof of the building with them. He looked almost the same as when Ichigo had defeated him, but… not quite. One of his eyes was black and gold and instead of his usual, serene look, there was a smile on his face.

"Akiyo?" Ichigo asked, confused, and that smile widened into a grin.

"You don't know your hollow's name? How inconsiderate of you. Zangetsu, please step aside." To Ichigo's surprise, his zanpakuto stepped back. He was looking at Muramasa with an unreadable expression.

"Jii-san? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, his sword at the ready. Muramasa held out his hand and a sword appeared in it, still the slender blade he'd used before. But there was a long white piece of fabric attached to the end.

"He has absorbed your inner hollow." The zanpakuto said and Ichigo blinked, then scowled. He didn't like his inner hollow – Akiyo? – but he liked this even less.

"Indeed." The voice was Muramasa's, but the grin on his face and the way he gripped the fabric and twirled his sword were clearly from Ichigo's hollow. "I would never have believed I could have so much in common with a hollow. Alone, disregarded by our masters… and now, if I am to live I must kill you. Just like your hollow. Really, this almost seems fated." He suddenly caught the blade and launched himself at Ichigo. Then teen met the attack, their blades clashing. Muramasa chuckled softly and Ichigo's eyes widened. His voice was taking on an echoing tone. "I never favoured melee combat before. I've always preferred distance attacks… until now."

"Just shut up and fight! Getsuga Tenshou!" The young shinigami said.

"Getsuga Tenshou." Muramasa said at the same time and Ichigo's eyes went wide. Black energy clashed with white and cancelled each other out. "Haven't you wondered why your zanpakuto is not helping you?"

"…" Ichigo glanced around briefly. Zangetsu was gone. "Have you manipulated him?" That was Muramasa's power, after all. But the zanpakuto shook his head before twirling his blade again. He threw it at Ichigo like a flail, just like his hollow, and the blade made a window explode as the teen dodged.

"No. But he cannot strike at the second part of your power." Muramasa flicked his fingernails, glancing around. "I don't know where he's gone, however. But it doesn't matter. I will defeat you." He said and Ichigo scowled.

"You have the ego of my hollow too, I see." And he launched his own attack, meeting the grinning zanpakuto in the air. Their swords clashed as they pushed each other. There was no give in either of them.

They were both fighting to win.

* * *

Zangetsu swam rapidly through Ichigo's inner world, looking for what he knew had to be there.

He could not bring himself to strike out against Akiyo. There were part of the same thing, part of Ichigo's power, and violent conflict was not part of that duality. They could spar and often did, but he could not intervene in what was happening. But that did not mean there was nothing he could do.

Detecting the reiatsu he needed, Zangetsu entered one particular house. It was completely empty, just a shell in Ichigo's inner world, but there was a hollow chained to one of the walls. Zangetsu paused for a moment to examine him.

"Hey, what the hell are you looking at?! Get me down from here!" Grimmjow squirmed, fighting his bonds, and Zangetsu pulled out his sword. A few quick slashes freed the arrancar. "What the hell's going on?"

"Muramasa has engaged Ichigo in combat, using Akiyo's power." Zangetsu said before hesitating. What he was thinking of doing would make Grimmjow part of Ichigo's world, permanently. There would be no going back. "I cannot strike out at him directly. But… if you take my power, the portion that makes up my separate consciousness, you could take action against him." It was a strange dodge, but the zanpakuto was sure it would work. "However, if you do so you will be permanently bonded with Ichigo's inner world." This would make Grimmjow really part of the place, like Akiyo and Zangetsu. The blue haired man sneered.

"Who gives a fuck about that? Do it!" That was all the permission he needed and Zangetsu yielded his power to Grimmjow. Like Akiyo, he could see through the arrancar's eyes as he swam out the door.

Hopefully, this would be the edge that Ichigo needed.

* * *

Ichigo was finding that defeating Muramasa was very, very difficult.

The zanpakuto was favouring his hollow's powers, but that didn't mean he was neglecting his own. He tried, several times, to ensnare the teen in illusions and warp his senses. That power combined with Akiyo's brutal attack style made Muramasa a tough opponent.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" They both turned their heads in surprise as a new voice spoke. Muramasa had to leap back as a black and blue Getsuga Tenshou hit the roof where he had been standing. "Let go of my mate, you fucker!"

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo watched in stunned disbelief as the arrancar engaged Muramasa in combat. Strangely, the zanpakuto immediately went on the defensive.

"Zangetsu. How clever of you." There was an edge to Muramasa's voice and his eyes had narrowed dangerously. "I would never have anticipated you would give your power to a hollow." Ichigo frowned. Muramasa seemed strangely reluctant to strike out at Grimmjow.

"Yeah? And it's just fine the other way around? Fuck you, give me back Akiyo!" Ichigo's eyes widened at that. What was going on here? What had Zangetsu been keeping from him? For a brief moment he felt betrayed, but then he shelved the feeling and joined Grimmjow's attack. It was the strangest thing ever, working with the insane arrancar, but he wasn't going to turn down the help.

Muramasa let out a hissing sound of frustration and suddenly launched a brutal attack on Ichigo, almost ignoring Grimmjow. The reason for that became clear as his appearance flashed to white just before Grimmjow landed a hit. There was a yelp of pain and the arrancar pulled away, looking shocked. Then the white vanished and Muramasa grinned.

"Your mate is in considerable pain right now." He said mockingly and Grimmjow roared in frustration. There wasn't a mark on Muramasa.

"You bastard!" Grimmjow snarled but his attacks suddenly became weaker. Ichigo just scowled and pushed the zanpakuto back. Muramasa was laughing, an odd echo in his voice.

"Just keep him distracted!" He told the arrancar. He had to end this and he knew there was only one way. The zanpakuto fought hard, grinning, but they finally got the better of him. Grimmjow couldn't bear to make the final blow, but Ichigo had no problems. The sword slid in smoothly and Muramasa looked down at the weapon in his chest. His expression seemed more surprised than anything.

"How strange. It doesn't hurt…" The zanpakuto said softly before he dissolved in a way that was very familiar to Ichigo. He'd seen it every time he defeated his hollow before. Then there was a wild howl and his eyes widened before he had to fend off an enraged Grimmjow.

"Kurosaki! I'm gonna – fuck!" The arrancar swore violently as there was a flash of dark light around him. Zangetsu abruptly reappeared and intervened, knocking Ichigo away and taking on the ex-Espada himself. "Get out of the way old man!"

"No. You are not thinking clearly. Ichigo did what was necessary." Zangetsu told him and the arrancar snarled, a vicious, primitive sound. But he stepped back, his jaw muscles rippling as he reined in his temper. Ichigo was surprised. He'd expected the arrancar to keep attacking. "He will be back." That made Grimmjow look at him sharply, as if it might be a joke. But then he seemed to realize the zanpakuto was serious.

"What the fuck are you talking about? That fucker killed Muramasa, and Akiyo was in there!" Grimmjow said and Ichigo desperately wanted to ask what was going on, how Grimmjow had gotten in here and why he cared about his inner hollow. But this definitely wasn't the right time for that.

"Akiyo is part of Ichigo's power, just as I am. When he is defeated by Ichigo he is unconscious for a time, but then he will return." Zangetsu assured the arrancar. Grimmjow grunted, sheathing his sword.

"You better be right or I'm making this little bastards life a living hell." He said sourly and Ichigo scowled.

"What the hell are you doing here, Grimmjow? And why didn't you tell me about this, jii-san?" He couldn't help but feel betrayed. Zangetsu had been keeping secrets from him? He'd never have believed it if the evidence weren't right in front of him. The zanpakuto and arrancar both looked at him.

"Your hollow ate me, dumbass." Grimmjow said and Ichigo's eyes widened as he went pale. Ate him? "And he devoured most of the souls that made up my body, but he kept me around as a playmate. Poor bastard was so lonely he was almost ready to howl at the moon." Zangetsu nodded and Ichigo tried to wrap his mind around that. His inner hollow had been lonely?

"Your inner hollow has needs I cannot fill, needs this world cannot fill. It is why he was so determined to defeat you, Ichigo." Zangetsu said as the teen frowned at him. "As for why I did not tell you, I feared you would do something rash. And there was no harm in it. Quite the opposite, in fact. Akiyo has not been challenging you as much as he could." That made him frown harder, but then Ichigo nodded reluctantly. He'd noticed that his hollow seemed oddly quiet and passive lately. Apparently, he'd been distracted.

"Well, I'm not having you staying in my world forever. And Nel really wants to see you. I'll talk to Urahara –" Then Grimmjow burst into laughter and Ichigo blinked. "Grimmjow?"

"Too fucking late, Kurosaki. I just bonded with your power." The arrancar said with a grin and Ichigo stared at him, feeling his heart drop. "I'm part of you now. Too bad, so sad, I'm gonna be bothering the shit out of you now!" Ichigo glanced at Zangetsu, but the zanpakuto just shrugged. "You better hope Akiyo gets back soon or you're gonna be wishing you were dead."

"Great. Just… great." Ichigo said, rubbing his head for a moment and wondering if he could kill Grimmjow like he had Muramasa. If the hollow was correct, he'd come back too… but hopefully not before Akiyo came back. But he couldn't stomach the thought and someone was calling him. Yuzu? It was probably time for supper. "We'll discuss this later." He said before turning his attention outwards. He was going to talk to Urahara soon, no matter what Grimmjow said.

He didn't trust the arrancar in his mind.


	5. Fin

Ichigo spent the next few days going to school, doing his homework and trying to find some way to get Grimmjow out of his head.

Unfortunately, it wasn't working out. According to Kisuke, what was left of the arrancar's spirit had definitely bonded to his power. And even if he hadn't, the shopkeeper thought that Grimmjow was too weak to exist as a separate entity anymore. Apparently, having his body torn apart and devoured had completely devastated his powers. It made Ichigo feel sick, although he knew that Akiyo had only done it to save the arrancar's life.

Ichigo had made several visits to his inner world to speak to Zangetsu and he'd learned many interesting things about his hollow and Grimmjow. A lot of it he'd learned directly from the ex-Espada, since he was more than willing to run his mouth. Hearing about how absolutely hot his hollow was and how he made a pretty girl had been cringe worthy. Ichigo had never considered himself a prude, but he'd never been interested in gay sex, either.

_You do realize that you're bisexual, right?_ Grimmjow said and Ichigo stiffened before trying to devote his attention to his work. _Akiyo likes girls, he had a crush on fucking Princess Jasmine._

"What?!" Ichigo hissed before looking hard at his page. "You're bullshitting me." He muttered under his breath. That simply couldn't be true.

_Am not. He's gonna take your body and go to Disney World as soon as he gets control._ Ichigo managed to control himself, although it was hard. He'd expected his hollow to immediately go on a rampage if he got control. Disney World? That was wrong on so many levels. _How far away is it, anyway?_

"It's over the ocean." He said quietly, hoping no one was noticing his conversation. But they shouldn't, he'd gotten pretty good at this. And Grimmjow could hear him even if he whispered.

_So we would have to swim?_ The naiveté of that comment made Ichigo snicker to himself. _Hey! What the fuck are you laughing at?_ The arrancar sounded pissed and Ichigo took pity on him.

"It's too far to swim. You'd have to take a plane." He explained and felt Grimmjow's absolute incomprehension. "You don't know what a plane is, do you." This was even worse than his hollow. Akiyo had been quite ignorant at first, but he'd largely kept to himself. Zangetsu said he'd figured most things out from observation and reading books, as well as speaking to the zanpakuto. Grimmjow hadn't had much time in his inner world, though, and from what Zangetsu had said reading wasn't his thing. "Ask Akiyo to take you to the airport." Ichigo had done some air travel and Karakura town was big enough to warrant a small airport. That made Grimmjow's thoughts go in another direction.

_When the hell is he getting back? I miss the fucker._ Grimmjow complained and Ichigo frowned. Zangetsu claimed the two hollows were genuinely fond of each other, but it was hard to believe.

"What about Nel?" Ichigo asked, keeping his tone neutral. Nel had explained why Grimmjow meant so much to her in her child lisp, which had been pretty hilarious when she was talking about secret trysts and love bites. There was a long pause before Grimmjow replied.

_What about her?_ Ichigo scowled at that callous reply, but then Grimmjow went on. _She's a little kid, Kurosaki. I can't tap that. And even if I could, I can't hang around her fraccion all the time. I'd kill the bastards, never could stand them._ Then Grimmjow laughed. _She hated my fraccion too, back in Los Noches. Incompatible fraccions, it sounds like we belonged on Dr. Phil or some shit._

"Oh." Ichigo blinked at the thought but privately admitted Grimmjow had a point. He tried to imagine the arrancar dealing with Nel and her excitable brothers and winced a little. There would likely be a cero involved. "Well, we should at least go see her, let her know you're okay." For a given value of okay. Grimmjow mulled that over for a moment.

_Okay, that might be –_ Then Ichigo cringed as the arrancar was interrupted by real life.

"Kurosaki Ichigo! Since you don't seem to be paying attention, you can demonstrate the next problem." The instructor said sharply and he stood up, faking confidence as he walked up to the blackboard. His heart sank as he looked at the math problem. It was pretty complicated, he wasn't sure he could –

_The answer is 265._ A very familiar voice piped up and Ichigo quickly wrote in the number, ignoring Grimmjow's yelp.

_AKIYO!_ All the sounds from his inner world abruptly cut off, to his relief. Ichigo really didn't want to hear what they were up to. He'd found out from Zangetsu that those wails he sometimes heard from his inner world weren't pain. Not even remotely.

There were some things he just didn't need to know about his hollow and his mate.

* * *

"Grimm!" Akiyo gasped as blunt teeth sunk into his neck, giving him a delicious pain. "Nnng… not alone!" He squirmed underneath his lover, trying to point to the third person in the area. He was watching them both curiously.

"Don't care. Zangetsu! Bugger off!" Grimmjow snarled before rubbing his palm against Akiyo's crotch. The hollow arched at the friction but gripped blue curls and gave a yank.

"Muramasa." He gasped out and that finally got Grimmjow's attention. The man on him froze, his blue eyes going wide before he turned his head to look. The rogue zanpakuto was standing not too far away, looking at them both intently.

"You BASTARD!" Grimmjow tried to leap off his lover but was foiled as Akiyo grabbed his arm, yanking him down. "Let go! I'm going to fucking kill him!"

"Calm down! You can't kill him and he's got a bribe." Grimmjow just snarled and Akiyo reached into his pocket. "Grimmjow! Want a cookie?"

"What? No, I don't fucking want a… wait, you have a cookie?" Grimmjow dared to take his eyes off his enemy for one brief moment to see what his mate was babbling about. To his astonishment, Akiyo was holding what looked like a genuine, chocolate chip cookie. "What the fuck?! Where did you get that?" Akiyo grinned and broke the cookie in half, offering him part. Grimmjow hesitated before taking it and taking a nibble. It tasted like a real cookie, and a good one too, full of nuts and chocolate.

"Muramasa made it. Look, let me explain." He said in a soothing tone as Grimmjow tensed again, shooting the zanpakuto a glare. "When Muramasa died with me inside him, he bonded to Ichigo's power like you did when you merged with Zangetsu. So Ichigo has a dual zanpakuto now. Even if you killed him he'd come back so there's no point in fighting, right?"

"I'd enjoy it." Grimmjow muttered but glanced down at the cookie in his hand. "How did he make food in here?"

"My powers involve the manipulation of other zanpakuto and inner worlds." Muramasa was the one that answered this time. The zanpakuto was smiling slightly. "I cannot do anything that would truly violate the 'rules' of this world, but I can manipulate it within those rules. And there is no reason for the lack of food in this place." He shrugged slightly. "If you wish, I can create any type of food Ichigo has ever eaten for you." There was a long pause as Grimmjow digested that and Akiyo just sat back, grinning. He and Muramasa had materialized in a completely different location, and he'd hashed it all out with the zanpakuto before going to find Grimmjow.

"…What about getting out of this place? I thought you wanted to be the one in charge?" He finally asked and Muramasa shrugged again.

"I acted out of my need to survive. That is no longer an issue." Muramasa regarded his fingernails for a moment before looking up. "Since I am bonded to Ichigo's power, I am now part of his reiatsu. I no longer need to scavenge crumbs of power from his mind. Furthermore, I am a zanpakuto. Having a wielder is a natural thing for a sword spirit. I do not expect Kurosaki Ichigo to accept me as he does Zangetsu, but given what my relationship with Kouga turned into I still cannot help but regard this as an improvement." Akiyo nodded. He knew all about what Muramasa had gone through, trying to free his owner. And he'd seen the way he'd been repaid. It had been a bit shocking, even for the hollow.

"You can hang out with us." He offered, ignoring Grimmjow's outraged glance. "Just make cute and surly here some coffee and apple pie." He smiled, cuddling up against his mate. Grimmjow growled, still tense, but then relaxed a bit and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Oh, fine. You can hang out with us if you want to." He conceded with ill grace and Muramasa's smile widened. Grimmjow eyed him warily. That smile looked strangely like Akiyo's.

"It would be a pleasure. I do like strategy games, and it's been so long since I had someone to play chess with. Kouga used to play it with me all the time." The zanpakuto said with a trace of sadness. Then Muramasa blinked as Grimmjow groaned and Akiyo laughed.

"Another chess weenie! You two can play while I eat my fuckin' pie." The arrancar said firmly and Akiyo grinned.

"Works for me. C'mon, let's show you our hangout." Akiyo led the way, swimming through the air of the underwater world. He was actually much happier about this outcome than Grimmjow. He'd had fun fighting his King, and he'd gotten a feel for Muramasa while he'd been inside the other's mind. They really had a lot in common. And for the first time in his short life, the inner hollow had tasted chocolate. He was willing to forgive a lot for that.

Ichigo's future epic freak out when he discovered he had a second zanpakuto would be good, too.

* * *

For Ichigo, the next few weeks went very smoothly. He didn't hear so much as a peep from his hollow or Grimmjow. Well, he did hear a few mating calls from his hollow, but that was it. Apparently they were making up for lost time.

Finally though, Ichigo entered his inner world. He wanted to spar with Zangetsu and while he could do it in the real world, there were far too many spiritually aware people in Karakura town. It was much easier just to spar in here. To his surprise, though, he couldn't find the zanpakuto.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo wandered the streets of the underwater town. "Zangetsu!" This really was a first. Zangetsu was usually just hanging around on the roofs, and detected his presence instantly. Scowling, Ichigo tried to pinpoint his hollow. The hollow reiatsu was a little easier to sense, and maybe he would know where Zangetsu had gotten to.

To his surprise, his hollow was at the skating rink. Ichigo had never been interested in skating, and his family wasn't much into it, so he'd visited the rink for the first time last week. Skating was Orihime's main hobby, and she'd invited him to a special 'dancing on ice' presentation they were putting on. Apparently, that visit had created a skating rink in his mind and the occupants of his inner world were exploiting it to the fullest. Ichigo slipped inside, trying to stay hidden. He wanted to see what Akiyo was up to.

What he was up to was figure skating. Ichigo watched, slightly amazed by how graceful his hollow was on the ice. But then, he was perfectly coordinated and very athletic. It was no surprise that he would catch on quickly to something new.

"Hey, watch this! I'm gonna do a triple toe loop!" The hollow called to Grimmjow and Ichigo frowned. The arrancar was standing beside someone that Ichigo couldn't see clearly. It had to be Zangetsu, yet… somehow, it didn't feel like Zangetsu.

"Bullshit! You're gonna land on your face!" Grimmjow called back and Akiyo scowled before working on gaining some speed. He gave it a very good try, but his landing was absolutely awful and Ichigo winced as his hollow's head impacted the ice with a brutal crack. "Hah! Ya fuckin' failure!"

"Owwww…" There was a pained whine from the ice but Ichigo ignored it. That other person beside Grimmjow was… strange. He was wearing a big, fluffy purple and white sweater as well as blue jeans. He was holding a mug of something steaming – hadn't Grimmjow complained there was no food here? – and sipping it occasionally. Then Ichigo got close enough to see his face clearly and he froze up in shock.

"Muramasa!" He yelped before reaching behind him and grasping his sword. Everyone looked at him in surprise except for Akiyo, who was mumbling something about agonizing pain and no one caring. Muramasa looked at him for a moment before taking another sip of his drink.

"Woo hoo, epic freak out time! Hey Akiyo, you're missing some good shit!" Grimmjow called to the hollow, who just gripped his head and groaned. "Wanker."

"Shut up! Even my sinuses hurt… argh." The hollow finally pushed himself up, wavering a bit on his skates. "Don't you dare start a fight in here King, we like this place." And a fight between Ichigo and Muramasa could easily end up completely trashing the skating rink.

"What the hell is going on?" Ichigo demanded, scowling at the white hollow. "And where is Zangetsu? …Oh." His zanpakuto had just entered the rink and was looking a little sheepish. Ichigo could see why, he was wearing figure skates and clearly ready for his turn on the ice.

"Look, King, it's simple." Akiyo said and Ichigo's attention snapped back to him. "He bonded to my power the way Grimm bonded to Zangetsu. So Muramasa belongs here now and you've got a second zanpakuto. Congratulations, you're more powerful and shit. Now can we get back to skating? Although I'm gonna take a break." The hollow added, rubbing the back of his head and wincing. Ichigo dropped the tip of his sword, looking at Grimmjow with a wondering look. The arrancar just shrugged.

"You're all okay with this? And why doesn't anyone tell me anything that's going on in here?" That was starting to get on his last nerve. It was his soul, shouldn't he know what was going on inside it? Grimmjow laughed, Muramasa chuckled and Akiyo gave him a shit eating grin.

"Hey, no one asks the Earth if she wants factories and pollution, do they? This is our world and you don't get a say." The hollow said mockingly and Ichigo gave him an outraged look. "And it took a while to talk Grimmy around, but Muramasa can make food in here. We're all so grateful we can overlook his personality flaws."

"I have no personality flaws. You are merely jealous of my perfection." The zanpakuto said, completely unruffled. The two hollows laughed as Zangetsu skated up to the boards near them.

"Would you like to join us, Ichigo?" He asked and the teen paused, blinking. Now that he'd seen they were all busy he'd been planning to leave. But there was no reason he had to, and he hadn't actually gotten a chance to try skating. And there might be another benefit. He had two strangers in his mind, now… three if he counted Akiyo, who he honestly didn't know at all. Maybe it would be good to stick around and get to know them a little. Especially if they couldn't leave.

"Sure. Where'd you get the skates?" He asked and his hollow volunteered to show him. Ichigo followed Akiyo, who was recovering rapidly from his impact with the ice. A human would probably have been going to the emergency room with a concussion, but his hollow was not at all human.

"They're all right in here. You must've glanced at it when you came here." Akiyo said as he opened a door to another room. There were all kinds of skates stored there. "By the way, don't you know there's a Disney World resort in Tokyo? Geez, King."

"There is?" Ichigo said, surprised. But then, he'd never been interested in going to Disney World. His hollow shot him an exasperated look when he said that.

"You must have been the most boring child ever…" Ichigo ignored the grumbling as he found some skates in his size and put them on. "Watch the toe picks, they're great for all kinds of stuff but they'll mess you up when you're just walking."

"Right. Uh, can you teach me how to use these?" He asked, a little apprehensively. His hollow grinned which only made the apprehension worse.

"Sure! Ah, don't look so freaked out King, Zangetsu will be right there." He said mockingly, but that did make Ichigo relax a little. Zangetsu wouldn't deliberately mess with him, although his hollow might. "And it's not hard. Just don't try a triple toe loop, it's a lot harder than it looks." His hollow rubbed his nose, clearly still feeling the effects.

"I wasn't planning on it, I'm not insane." He retorted, which made Akiyo grin. "And when did you get a name, anyway?" He asked and that grin suddenly turned into a scowl.

"Grimmjow said I should have one. You should have been the one to name me, but you never did." Ichigo frowned at the resentment in his hollow's tone. "Why didn't you give me a name, King?"

"…I was afraid it would make you more powerful, give you more control over me." He admitted. Akiyo blinked then scowled.

"Idiot. A name isn't anything special, it's just a bit of dignity… hmph." He shook his head as they went back out to the rink, Ichigo getting used to walking in skates. "It probably worked out for the best anyway. You'd have named me something stupid like Shiro or Hichigo, wouldn't you have?"

"I would have been more creative than that!" Ichigo said, nettled, and his hollow laughed.

"Yeah, sure you would have. My full name is Akiyo Izo Yukimura, by the way." He said and Ichigo was a bit surprised that they'd selected a full name for him. Izo? It seemed all his names had something to do with ice or snow. "Now, the way you skate is like this…" Ichigo watched intently as his hollow showed him the basic moves of figure skating. It really wasn't too hard, and soon Ichigo was managing to skate around the rink. He didn't try anything too creative, though.

He didn't want a headache of his own.

* * *

"Fucking zanpakuto. How do you guys always win?" Grimmjow complained as he watched the game of Risk. He'd already been beaten soundly and now it was Akiyo's turn to be torn apart. Zangetsu and Muramasa weren't working together, either. No, they were constantly attacking each other as well as Akiyo, but they'd captured the better part of Grimmjow's forces. Akiyo was going to be the next one down.

"You're both a bit too aggressive. In this game you have to build up your forces before launching your full attack." Muramasa said as he began moving some of his pieces against Zangetsu. The zanpakuto retaliated in kind, rolling the dice. He won, to Muramasa's disgruntlement, and captured several pieces. "Hmph."

"I'm so screwed." Akiyo muttered as he prepared to sell his life dearly. It took a while for his two opponents to crush him, but he finally lost his last piece and went to join Grimmjow. The arrancar was slowly savoring a piece of pie and sipping his nice, hot coffee. "Hey Muramasa, can you make me a lemon tart and some tea?"

"Certainly." The zanpakuto waved a hand and they appeared on the table. The lemon tart was the kind the tea shop sold, in fact, and it had an absolutely wonderful shortbread crust.

"Thanks." Akiyo picked up the tart and nibbled on it, enjoying the flavor. He'd discovered that lemon tarts were among his favorite sweets, he liked them even better than brownies and chocolates. "Tart but sweet… it reminds me of you." He said and Grimmjow stopped eating his pie for a moment before giving him a wicked grin.

"Oh yeah? Y'know, I just had an idea. Why don't we leave these two to the game, take that tart and go do something perverted?" He suggested. Akiyo didn't have to think twice about it.

"Okay. And you got knocked out of the game first, so I get to top." He said firmly and Grimmjow's eyes flashed.

"The hell you will!" He growled and the hollow grinned. They both left the shop and swam out onto one of the roofs. Akiyo carefully set the tart aside before they began to spar. The fight was fast and furious and culminated in Akiyo being pinned to the ground. "Ow, fucker, that was cheating!" Grimmjow had groped him at the worst possible time and used his distraction to put him on his back. The arrancar above him leered.

"There's no such thing as fair in love and war. You give?" He asked and Akiyo squirmed for a moment before nodding. He could bottom tonight. "Great. Let me get that tart." As the arrancar did that, Akiyo got rid of his clothing. He was wearing artistically faded blue jeans and a really nice, bright red shirt. He didn't want them to be ruined. When he done he saw that Grimmjow was grinning and his fingers were coated with lemon curd.

The ex-Espada pounced him, and Akiyo moaned softly as that lemon curd was spread over his nipples then licked away with a hot, slightly sandpapery tongue. That tongue teased him mercilessly, circling those sensitive nubs of flesh until they were hard and perky. Then he made his way down, smearing more of the lemon on pure white skin before licking it away.

"Hey, you're eating my tart." Akiyo muttered, hardly able to concentrate through the desire pooling in his loins. Grimmjow chuckled harshly and the sound sent another surge of heat through his body.

"That's what you're thinking about? Dumbass. Here, try this." Then Grimmjow was moving up and wet fingers were on his lips, smearing them with sweet pastry. Akiyo gasped as Grimmjow's lips descended onto his, tasting the sweet tartness in the kiss. It filled him with lust and he whined softly, gripping the arrancar's shoulders tightly. "I… mph… was gonna blow you off. But now I just wanna fuck you. That okay?" He asked and Akiyo nodded.

"Fuck me so hard Grimm." He said, his voice heavy with desire. He shivered as the arrancar parted his legs then gasped as he thrust inside. It hurt in all the right ways and Akiyo couldn't help himself. He had to scream his pleasure, let the world know what he was feeling.

_Hey! I was trying to take a nap._ Ichigo complained and Akiyo gasped as Grimmjow bit his shoulder, bruising him even beneath the hierro.

"Soh-ree… oh…" The white hollow had to bite his hand to hold in another howl. He honestly didn't feel like bothering Ichigo today, and Zangetsu and Muramasa were still engrossed in their game. If they didn't keep it down, no one would be doing it for them. "Grimmjow, oh fuck!" He gasped as the arrancar growled and drove him into the hard stone of the roof. His dick was so hard and thick, pressing against the hollow in all the right places. "Sh-shit!" His muscles tightened involuntarily as Grimmjow gripped his cock and began to pump him. That made the arrancar give a short, sharp cry of his own and thrust in harder.

_Oh, nevermind. I'm going to go read a book or something._ Came his King's grouchy voice and Akiyo had to laugh. Ichigo was so cute when he was mad… then all his attention went back to Grimmjow as the ex-Espada kissed him again. This kiss was hard and relentless, and they dueled back and forth until Akiyo submitted. Then the arrancar nibbled his lower lip, drawing a bit of blood. The salty tasty filled both their mouths and Akiyo bucked, his body loving every moment of the pain and pleasure.

"Mine." Grimmjow breathed in his ear and Akiyo shuddered at the dark, passionate possessiveness in his voice. "Mine forever."

"Mine." He gasped back before biting Grimmjow's shoulder, leaving his own mark. The arrancar only increased his pace, making him cry out. "Mine!" His fingers scratched pale skin, leaving more gently bleeding marks behind. This was how hollows mated. This was the passion and frenzy they loved.

The mating went on until they were both panting, sweat slicking their bodies. Grimmjow grinned above him as Akiyo cried out, shoving back into the arrancar's thrusts. White hands gripped soft blue hair, pulling him down for another bruising kiss. They were both getting close, Grimmjow's thrusts becoming quick and erratic as Akiyo's body tighten, the heat in his loins demanding release.

"Yes!" The white hollow screamed just as he came, his cum splattering against his belly and chest. Grimmjow howled his passion and Akiyo gasped as warmth filled him, stinging his insides a little. Then the arrancar gave him a tender kiss and Akiyo returned it, savoring the afterglow.

"Y'know, we still have some tart left. Want me to feed it to you?" The ex-Espada asked with a grin as he pulled away from his lover. Akiyo laughed, pushing himself up with his hands.

"If you want to." He said with a grin. They had a lot of fun with that, Grimmjow putting a bit of the shortbread between his teeth so Akiyo had to kiss him again to take it. "Mmm, delicious." He murmured before leaning against the arrancar. "Grimmjow, are we in love?" He felt the other man stiffen for a moment. Love was not something hollows usually talked about. Love was a weakness, an emotion that could kill in the merciless cold of Hueco Mundo. But then Grimmjow's arm went around him and Akiyo nuzzled him, savoring the warmth.

"I think we are." Came the soft reply and Akiyo smiled. This was perfect. He had his lover, food, and enough friends to play a good game of bridge.

He couldn't ask for anything more.

_~FIN~_


End file.
